Pilot Flood

Airline Pilot

A friendly, smiley, and happy-go-lucky commercial airline pilot who’s very down-to-earth. Having served over 10 years in the Metropolitan Police, I’ve carried a wealth of experience and skills acquired over the years into the world of aviation.

In my early days with the police, I noticed that walking and driving around in uniform attracted a lot of attention, making me feel like I always needed to set an example. This quickly evolved into a passion for helping people. Now, in aviation, that desire to help has continued.

When I was exploring the possibility of doing my ATPLs, I discovered that I could follow pilots on Instagram and reach out for advice, which I did. Those I contacted were incredibly helpful in preparing me for each upcoming stage of my training, and so I began documenting my journey on Instagram in a bid to provide similar insights to others. I did my best to assist those who sought help and advice. The satisfaction of helping people has never waned, and although I often critique my own performances, the important thing is that no one is perfect, but we can all help each other achieve our goals.

I completed my Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) in Europe as a Wizz Air cadet in my 30s and was fortunate enough to convert my license to obtain my UK CPL. I am type-rated on the Airbus A320 family, with line training in Bosnia, Austria, North Macedonia, and the UK before joining the line based out of Luton Airport in the UK. Flying out of Luton, Gatwick, and Cardiff provided me with incredible experiences with many great colleagues and various flying challenges.

In 2023, I left Wizz Air UK to join Jet2, and the amazing experiences continued. After flying approximately 30,000 passengers for Jet2 over the course of a year, it was time to move on again, this time to our national carrier, where I will begin training on the Airbus A380 in November. As aviation is a rapidly changing industry, this is all subject to LMCs (last-minute changes), but maintaining a positive outlook for the future and always seeking to learn and improve oneself is essential.

My goal in teaming up with Aviation Insider is to continue helping those who have a passion for aviation, specifically commercial aviation, by sharing insights and stories that people wouldn’t normally have access to. I want to remind people that we are all human and that no one needs to be perfect to make their dreams a reality.

To start with, one of my funniest/scariest/most memorable experiences during training was during my VFR training, with approximately 10 hours of experience, when an instructor taught me to ‘side-slip’ an approach. As I came into the flare, I suddenly realised, ‘How do I flare from this state?’ This resulted in a comical flare where I asked the instructor to help me land the plane. We ended up landing on the opposite main wheel, followed by the nose wheel. Needless to say, the nose wheel needed a whole new replacement (oops). But that’s why we trained on cheap light aircraft—they were the most affordable yet suitable training options. We all learn, and that’s exactly what training is all about.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming months with lots of exciting new challenges, and I’m grateful for this wonderful opportunity.

Instagram @PilotFlood – 29,000+ followers.
TikTok @PilotFlood – 9,000+ followers and 67,000+ likes

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